Finding peace of mind as a photographer - PPA Today

Finding peace of mind as a photographer

Problems in our business lives tend to affect our personal livesâ€¦and our bodies. Think about it, many become too stressed out and develop exhaustion, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, nervous breakdowns, etc. You may not believe it, but PPA can, in a way, help you avoid some of this stress.

Did you ever sweat on the way to a wedding where you knew a bridezilla was waiting? What about when a hard drive makes funny noises, or when the Zoning Board wants to talk about your home-based business? And I bet your stomach does backflips when a customerâ€”who happens to be an attorneyâ€”insists that they own the copyright to their family portrait.

Itâ€™s a tough world out there, particularly if you are on your own as a photographer and small business owner. There are pitfalls everywhere, and many of them have nothing to do with creating images.

In the presence of these pitfalls, a nervous stomach, sweat, and sleepless nights are normal. Itâ€™s peace of mind that is extraordinary. I was reminded of this recently thanks to an email from Faye Johnson of Bremerton, WA: â€œI want to express my appreciation for your attention to this matter. Thank you for allowing me to sleep at night.â€

And when a problem does occur, remember that you can call PPA when the going gets tough. We cannot solve every problem or make a bad situation into a good one, but we will be there, doing the best we can to help.

Peace of mind is a precious thing, and itâ€™s just one more important value of PPA membership. Helping you sleep at night is a fringe benefit.